Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-10-23
I" ABE F" LINCOLN.
A Memorial Statue of Him
Unveiled at Chicago.
SPEECH BY LEONARD SWEET,
Who Pays a Tribute Of Respect to
the Character Of the Martyr
President.

AsSOclateu fress DlSpRtcneS 10 the HERALD
CHICAGO, October 22:-The statue
OF Abraham Lincoln was unveiled
this afternoon in Lincoln Park in the
presence of q large assembly. The
statue was unveiled by little "Abe,"
a grandson of President Lincoln. At
the moment of unveiling a tremend-
GUS shout went up from the 5000 peo-
pie assembled, which was joined
moment later by renewed roar from
cannon. DIR. Thomas Withrow, one
of the trustees of the Bates fund, out
of which the cost of the statue was
betrayed, formally presented it to the
Lincoln Park Board, and DR.. w. G.
Goudy replied. An oration was de-
livered by Hon. Leonard SWEET, whose
intimate political, social and domes-
tic relations with the great President
have made him one OF the best in
formeh men now living concerning
Lineoln's life.
SWEETS GRAFTON.
Mr.. Sweet spoke briefly of the we'll
known events which led up to the
election of Mr.. Lincoln as President,
and continued: Il believe that he :
desired the second nomination, be-
cause that involved the approval OF the
common people, whom he always
loved and confided in. The cause
which he had taken was often in great
doubt during his first administration,
yet he would do nothing, and would
allow no friend to do anything to get
it. He looked with indifference over
the Vaccinations against him in his
cabinet, and with indifference over the
Senate and members Of Congress to
the action of the common people az
expressed in their conventions
and resolutions. 1t was as
though an electrical chord Of SYM
pathy extended from him to them.
The sublime and
CROwNING CHARACTERISTIC
of Mr.. Lincoln, however, was his self
reliance. During the eleven years
was with him at the bar of this state
[ never knew him to ask the advice
of friend about anything. / never
knew and never heard of his doing
this. I never knew him in the prepa-
ration of trial or in the perplexity of
it in court to turn to an associate ana
ask his advice"
MODEL CITIZEN.
The character of Abraham Lincoln
sprang upon American soil and was
of American growth. 1t would not
have been possible for any other than
an America or another civilization to
have produced him. He was emphat-
ically child OF the Republic ana the
product of our institutions. He was
OF the people and was for the
people. The most marked charac-
teristic of Mr., Lincoln was his
PERSONAL REGULARITY.
No one who knew him ever knew
another man like him. He stands out
from the whole world of his time iso-
lated and alone. His character VAS
that of greatness and extreme SIM
plicity.
HIS REMARKABLE sELF-CoNFIDENCE.
After speaking at some length about
Mr.. Lincoln's habit OF inqulrlng INTO
lOi knONlCuoC anu iiiD
studies in middle age, MIR. SWEET con-
tinued; "And herein may be per-
mitted to mention another very re-
markable and useful trait Of his char
acter. 1t was that mental equipoise
which is disturbed at nothing and
diverted from the pathway it has
marked out by nothing Although
prosecuting the war simply from,
a sense of duty, and not
from belief in its success, yet
he kept right on and was never de-
pressed by disaster nor elated by sue
cess. He seemed to comprehend the
magnitude of the contest in which he
was engaged more thoroughly than
any one. In short, he was the strong
man OF the contest, and great men at
Washington learned to gain renewed
Courage from his calmness. and to-
lean upon his great arm for support.
A FIGURE-HEAD FOR EVER.
In conclusion Mr.. SWEET said: "We
see him in his image of bronze above
us and recall his real presence. All
we know is that in all time hereafter,
whenever the slave shall groan under
the lash, or the poor shall sigh for
something better than they have
known, his name will be horored and
his example inflated"